Removable partition walls



United States Patent 3,287,869 REMOVABLE PARTITION WALLS Featherston A.Kilgore, 54 Riverwood Parkway, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Filed June 21,1963, Ser. No. 289,669 6 Claims. (Cl. 52-270) This invention relates tosound insulating partition walls. It is particularly directed toself-supporting sound absorbing and insulating panel constructions whichcan be interconnected to form effective sound attenuating partition wallstructures.

Prefabricated sectional partition panels are well known and widely usedin floors and interior walls of buildings for temporary orsemi-permanent subdivision of building interior space into offices,convention rooms, auditoriums and the like. Heretofore, sectionalpartion panel constructions have had several inherent disadvantageswhich have largely precluded ready public acceptance and use. Forexample, most partition panels are extremely cumbersome and too heavyfor convenient ease of handling and portability. The locking mechanismsnecessary to secure the panels together to form a unitary structure arerelatively complex requiring considerable time for erection ordismantling. Where it is desired to obtain optimum sound attenuationcharacteristics, conventional panels either provide insufficient soundabsorbing and insulating characteristics to 'be practicable or,conversely, if they are provided with sufficient sound absorbing andinsulating material to be efficient, are too heavy and cumbersome to bepractical.

Sound insulation for normal commercial and industrial purposes isusually directed to the frequency range of from about 125 to about 4,000cycles per second (c.p.s.) in that although the human ear may be capableof hearing sounds over a frequency range of from about 20 to about20,000 c.p.s., the frequencies between 125 and 4,000 c.p.s. sound louderthan frequencies at equal intensities above and below this sound range.Portable lightweight panels heretofore have provided insufficient soundinsulation, that is, insufficient resistance to sound transmission, tobe effective due to a lack of mass and due to a resonance occurringwithin the panel within the critical frequency range of 125 to 4,000c.p.s. The resonance result from flexural vibration of the barrieritself set up by incidental sound waves and is dependent on the mass andconstruction of the barrier as Well as the frequency of the sound. Therigidity necessary to support the light-weight panel usually places theresonance of the panel within the objectionable range.

We have discovered that a novel combination of a thin lead sheet with aporous sound absorbing material arranged in spaced relation one to theother within a rigid wall structure provides efficient sound absorbingand insulating properties permitting the facile use of portablelight-weight prefabricated panel constructions in partition wallstructures.

It is, therefore, a principal object of our invention to provide a novelpanel construction which has effective sound absorbing and insulatingproperties together with light-weight portability.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a panelconstruction which will provide uniformly effective sound attenuatingproperties over the frequency range of 125 to 4,000 c.p.s.

3,287,869 Patented Nov. 29, 1966 It is still another object of thepresent invention to provide a plurality of panel constructions whichcan be arranged to co-act with each other to form a rigid self-supporting partition wall structure which retains the sound attenuatingcharacteristic-s of the individual panels that constitute the said wallstructure to provide an effective sound barrier.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a partitionwall structure assembly which can be quickly and readily assembled foruse and dismantled for storage.

These and other objects of the present invention and the manner in whichthey can be attained will become apparent from the following detaileddescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a partition wall assembly embodyingthe structure of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a transverse section taken along the line 22 of FIGURE 1illustrating the connections made between adjacent panel constructionsconstituting the wall structure and the connection made between thepartition wall structure and abutted permanent wall;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal section taken along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1illustrating the connection between the panel constructions of thepartition wall and ceiling;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse section taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1illustrating the connection between two intersecting partition wallstructures; and

FIGURE 5 is a transverse section taken along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4illustrating a locking mechanism employed to secure the panels together.

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the descriptionof the drawing.

The partition wall assembly of the present invention illustratedgenerally by FIGURE 1 comprises a plurality of panels 10 adapted to beinterlocked one with another to form a continuous and substantiallyair-tight and soundproof partition wall structure 11. Each of the panels10 comprises a framework 12 having a pair of spaced, longitudinal postmembers 13 and 14 and a pair of spaced, transverse connecting head andfoot members 15 and 16. The central opening defined by the framework 12is closed on one side by a sheet 18 of a limp, heavy material such assheet lead or woven lead and lead impregnated cloth fabrics whichpreferably is co-extensive with the outer edge of the framework.

The opposite side of the panel opening preferably is closed by a layer19 of porous material such as cellular plastic or fiberglass which maybe secured along each edge to the interior of framework 12. A space 21substantially co-extensive with the aforesaid panel opening preferablyis formed between sheet 18 and layer 19 for reasons which will becomeapparent as the the description proceeds. Although space 21 is showndefined between sheet 18 and layer 19, it will be understood that thisarrangement is illustratory only of the structure of the presentinvention and space 21 could be formed on the opposite side of layer 19by abutting layer 19 against sheet 18.

A rigid sheet 22 secured to one side of framework 12 by nails, screws orthe like securing means is adapted to enclose lead sheet 18 and co-a-ctwith the side of the framework 12 to tightly engage the edges of thelead sheet therebetween. Rigid sheet 23 likewise secured to the oppositeside of the framework 12 by nails, screws or the like securing meanspreferably is adhesively secured to one face of the porous material. Thelead sheet and porous material are thus supported within the panelconstruction. The rigid sheets interact with the framework to provide aself-supporting structural panel unit.

To provide lateral rigidity to each panel, it may be preferred toincorporate an angle member 24 longitudinally within each panel wherebythe angle is secured to head and foot members 15 and 16.

Each of longitudinal members 13 is provided with a tongue 25 along itsexposed edge and each of longitudinal members 14 is provided with atongue receiving groove 26 along its exposed edge. Header frame member15 has a tapered tongue 27 formed along its exposed edge, as mostclearly illustrated in FIGURE 3.

With reference to FIGURES l, 2 and 3, it will be evident that the panelsare arranged in an edge-to-edge abutting relationship when erected toform a continuous partition wall. Tongue 25 of each longitudinal framemember 13 is inserted in groove 26 of opposed longitudinal member 14 ofthe next adjacent panel. Gasket material 28 disposed within each groove26 is of sufficient thickness to be compressed by tongue 25 to providean effective air-tight seal. To ensure maintenance of an airtightconnection between the abutting panels, a plurality of locking devicespreferably are positioned at intervals along the longitudinal edges ofthe panels for locking the panels together. Each lock comprises arotatable flanged cam latch member 29 pivotally mounted in one edge of apanel and a lug or pair of lugs 30 rigidly secured to the opposing edgeof the adjacent panel adapted to receive said flanged cam latch. Theflanged cam latch and lugs interact to draw tongue 25 into groove 26 andtightly compress gasket :matreial 28 therebetween, as shown in FIG URE5.

Tongue 27 formed in header is received within a groove 31 formedlongitudinally in elongated, rigid member 32 secured to the ceiling ofthe room by means of flanges 33 extending therefrom connected to aceiling beam. A rubber lining 35 seated in groove 31 is adapted to becompressed by tongue 27 when panel 10 is positioned in its verticalposition to effect an airtight seal therebetween. A dense rubber strip36 secured to the exposed edge of foot member 16 is compressed by theweight of the panel to effect an effective air-tight seal between thefloor and the panel.

Terminal or end panel 37 has a tongue 38 formed along the exposed edgeof longitudinal side member 13 adapted to be inserted into recess 39for-med in a vertically disposed member 40 secured to a permanent wallof the room. Member 40 is rigidly secured to the room wall by means of apair of flanges 41 having securing means driven therethrough into wallpost 42. A resilient compressible material such as foam rubber 43 isseated within recess 39 such that said rubber is compressed by tongue 38when the panels are in their installed positions.

FIGURE 4 illustrates another embodiment of panel construction having apair of longitudinal side members 45 and 46 formed with longitudinaltongues 47 and grooves 48 as has been described hereinabove. Alongitudinal intermediary member 49 disposed centrally within panel 46is adapted to extend through external sheet 50 and provide alongitudinally extending lateral tongue 51 as illustrated. It will beevident from FIGURES l and 4 that panels 10 can be arranged to abut andreceive tongue 51 of panel 46 for wall arrangements within room areas.

' The exterior surfaces of the rigid outer sheets 22 and 23 preferablyare coated with a thin layer of a veneering material such as polyvinylchloride or the like fabric 55 to provide an aesthetic appearance to thepanels and to match the decor of the room in which the partition wall isassembled.

To install the partition wall structure, panel 37 normally is firstplaced into position by inserting tongue 27 in ceiling groove 31,positioning the panel vertically, and

sliding the panel such that longitudinal tongue 38 is received invertical groove 39. Allowing space for the next adjacent panel 10, theremaining panels 10 are raised into a substantially vertical position,tongues 27 inserted into grooves 31, and the panels connected into atight fitting abutting relationship by means of the locking devices. Thepanel adjacent to terminal panel 37 is last installed in position byforcing panel 37 to the left as viewed in FIGURE 1 to compress foamrubber gasket 43, positioning panel 10* adjacent to panel 37, and thenforcing panel 37 to the right as viewed in FIGURE 1 such that it abutsin tight fitting relationship and is locked with said adjacentlast-installed panel 10. Foam rubber gasket 43 expands to fill recess 39and maintain a substantially air-tight connection between the partitionwall 11 and the permanent wall.

Although it will be understood the present invention is independent ofhypothetical considerations, it is believed the improved soundattenuating characteristics of our panel construction result from thelimp lead sheet dampening the amplitude and/ or frequency of vibrationof one rigid outer sheet and the layer of porous material adhesivelysecured to the other outer sheet dampening the amplitude of vibration ofthe second outer sheet such that the two opposed rigid sheets vibrate atdifferent resonant frequencies thereby cancelling reflected andtransmitted sound waves within the air space defined within the panelconstruction by the porous material on the one side and the heavy leadsheet on the other. The porous material arranged to form one side of theenclosed air space or disposed within the air space absorbs much of thesound energy not cancelled by the two plies vibrating at differentfrequencies. Thus the resonant frequency is considerably elevated andthe effect of the resonance, if present within the frequency range of to4,000 c.p.s., considerably minimized.

The following example illustrates the construction of individual panelsincorporated into a partition wall structure and the sound attenuatingcharacteristics provided thereby. Twenty-six panels each 2 wide and l2-1long were arranged in a vertical, side-to-side abutting relationship toform a partition wall 54'-()" long and 12-l" high disposed across a room83-6" long, 54 0" wide and 12'-1" high; dividing the room into twohalves. Each panel consisted of a rectangular framework of 2" x 2"wooden members having a sheet of A thick lead underlying a A" thicksheet of plywood rigidly secured to one side of the framework and a 1"thick layer of fiberglass cemented to the inside face of a A thick sheetof plywood which was rigidly secured to the opposite side of the saidframework. The exterior surfaces of the two plywood sheets were coveredwith a thin coating of vinyl fabric.

Flanged cam locks were employed to rigidly secure the panels togethersuch that a tongue formed in the longitudinal edge of one panel abuttedand compressed a rubber gasket seated in the groove formed in theopposing edge of the next adjacent panel. Foam rubber gasket materialwas employed to seal the joints between the partition wall and thepermanent wall. Closed-cell neoprene rubber was employed to effect anair-tight seal between the partition wall and floor and ceiling.

Sound insulation field tests were conducted on this wall assembly inaccordance with the technique specified in A.S.A. Standard Z 24.19-1957,whereby a cone-type loudspeaker was mouuted 10' from the partition wallfacing I away from the wall and a signal produced by a warble toneoscillator using an 8 c.p.s. warble with a modulation of /6 octave up toa maximum modulation of 200 c.p.s. Sound intensity readings for aplurality of frequencies in the range between 125 and 4,000 c.p.s. wereobserved at several points on the sound source side and the receivingroom side of the partition wall and the several readings for eachfrequency averaged to provide the mean sound intensity on each side ofthe wall. The sound insulation,

in decibels, provided by the partition wall for the several frequenciestested, is shown in the following table.

Table 1 Frequency, Insulation, cycles/ second: decibels 125 14 175 16.5250 22 350 27 500 34 700 33 1000 36 2000 38 4000 43 This example clearlyillustrates the effectiveness of the partition wall structure as a soundbarrier in attenuating sound intensities between the frequency range of125 to 4,000 c.p.s. The average sound attenuation over the frequencyrange of 125 to 4,000 c.p.s. is 29 decibels.

The present invention provides a number of important advantages. Heavylead sheets can be incorporated in prefabricated, light-weight portablepanel constructions which can be readily assembled to provide anefficient sound attenuating partition wall structure or disassembled forstorage. The combination of heavy, limp sheet material such as lead Witha rigid supporting member spaced from a porous sound absorbing materialsecured to a second rigid supporting member provides a unitary,selfsupporting structure having improved sound attenuatingcharacteristics. The resonance of the wall structure is raised to afrequency range which is not irritating to the ear. The partition Walldampens and/or cancels the intensity or amplitude of vibrations impingedon one rigid outer sheet before transmission to the opposed rigid outersheet. The panels can be manufactured for room heights and wall spansheretofore not practicable and assembled or disassembled quickly,readily and positively.

It will be understood, of course, that modifications can be made in thepreferred embodiments of the invention described and illustrated hereinwithout departing from the scope and purview of the invention as definedby the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

1. A panel construction of the type used as a sound barrier comprising,in combination, a planar reinforcing framework defining an openingtherein, at least one lead sheet substantially co-extensive with saidframework secured to one side of said framework, at least one layer of aporous material substantially coextensive with the framework openingdisposed within said opening such that a space is defined between saidlead sheet and said porous material, a pair of rigid sheetssubstantially coextensive with said reinforcing framework rigidlysecured thereto, one of said sheets abutting the lead sheet and theother of said sheets abutting the layer of porous material, means foradhesively securing said porous material to the abutting sheet, a tongueformed along one longitudinal edge of said framework and a groove formedalong the opposite longitudinal edge of said framework, and gasketmaterial disposed in said groove.

2. A panel construction of the type used in a sound barrier comprising,in combination, a planar reinforcing framework defining an openingtherein, at least one lead sheet substantially co-extensive with saidframework secured to one side of said framework, a layer of porousmaterial substantially oo-extensive with the framework opening disposedwithin said opening such that a space is defined between said lead sheetand said porous material a pair of rigid sheets substantiallyco-extensive with said reinforcing framework rigidly secured to saidframework along each edge forming a rigid, unitary self-supportingstructure, said lead sheet adapted to abut the interior surface of oneof said rigid sheets and the porous material adapted to abut and beadhesively secured to the interior of the other of said rigid sheets, atongue formed along one exposed longitudinal edge of said framework anda groove formed along the opposite longitudinal edge of said framework,and a compressible material disposed in said groove along the length ofsaid groove.

3. A panel construction as claimed in claim 2 in which said porousmaterial is selected from the group consisting of cellular plastic andglass fiber.

4. A panel construction as claimed in claim 3 in which a tongue isformed along one transverse edge of said panel.

5. A sectional partition structure for dividing room space whichcomprises a plurality of elongated panels each having a planarreinforcing framework defining an opening therein, at least one leadsheet substantially co-extensive with said framework secured to one sideof said framework, at least one layer of a porous material substantiallycoextensive with the framework opening disposed within said opening suchthat a space is defined between said lead sheet and said porousmaterial, a pair of rigid sheets substantially co-extensive with saidreinforcing framework rigidly secured thereto forming a' rigid, unitaryself-supporting structure, said lead sheet adapted to abut the interiorsurface of one of said rigid sheets and the porous material adapted toabut and be adhesively secured to the interior of the other of saidrigid sheets, a tongue formed along one longitudinal edge of each ofsaid panels and a groove formed along the opposite longitudinal edge ofeach of said panels adapted to receive the tongue of the next adjacentpanel, gasket material disposed in each of said grooves adapted to becompressed by a tongue of the next adjacent panel to provide asubstantially air-tight seal between each panel, and a tongue formed inthe framework at one end of each of said panels adapted to be insertedand received in a recess formed in the ceiling of the room for making anair-tight connection therewith.

6. In a sectional partition structure as claimed in claim 5, a wallhaving an elongated recess adapted to receive a tongue formed in alongitudinal edge of a panel, said recess having sufficient depth topermit the panel tongue to be displaced laterally therein, and means forproviding an air-tight connection between said panel tongue and saidwall.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,790,938 -2/1931Marcus 181--33.1 X 2,049,190 7/ 1936 Bemis 2024 2,057,071 10/1936Stranahan 20-4 2,085,436 6/1937 Maurer 181-331 X 2,102,756 12/1937 Smithet al. 181-33.1 X 2,249,203 7/1941 Guignon 189-34 2,256,961 9/1941Pearson et al. 52-40 7 2,647,287 8/1953 Jones 20--4 2,844,848 7/ 1958Couse et a1 20-2 FOREIGN PATENTS 563,849 9/ 1958 Canada.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

JACOB L. NACKENOFF, Examiner.

K. E. PAYNE, A. I. BREIER, Assistant Examiners.

1. A PANEL CONSTRUCTION OF THE TYPE USED AS A SOUND BARRIER COMPRISING,IN COMBINATION, A PLANAR REINFORCING FRAMEWORK DEFINING AN OPENINGTHEREIN, AT LEAST ONE LEAD SHEET SUBSTANTIALLY CO-EXTENSIVE WITH SAIDFRAMEWORK SECURED TO ONE SIDE OF SAID FRAMEWORK, AT LEAST ONE LAYER OF APOROUS MATERIAL SUBSTANTIALLY CO-EXTENSIVE WITH THE FRAMEWORK OPENINGDISPOSED WITHIN SAID OPENING SUCH THAT A SPACE IS DEFINED BETWEEN SAIDLEAD SHEET AND SAID POROUS MATERIAL, A PAIR OF RIGID SHEETSSUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID RENFORCING FRAMEWORK RIGIDLY SECUREDTHERETO, ONE OF SAID SHEETS ABUTTING THE LEAD SHEET AND THE OTHER OFSAID SHEETS ABUTTING THE LAYER OF POROUS MATERIAL,. MEANS FOR ADHESIVELYSECURING SAID POROUS MATERIAL TO THE ABUTTING SHEET, A TONGUE FORMEDALONG ONE LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF SAID FRAMEWORK AND A GROOVE FORMED ALONGTHE OPPOSITE LONGITUDINAL EDGE OF SAID FRAMEWORK, AND GASKET MATERIALDISPOSED IN SAID GROOVE.